1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology whereby advertisement information provided by a sponsor is selected in relation to content or content information provided from a content holder and then the content is provided to the user for viewing.
2. Description of the Related Art
We have seen in recent years the advent of technologies that enable keyword search of specific content such as video, music, an image or text information, and information for use in relation to the content through a search of meta-data appended to content. In addition, technologies whereby advertisement information is displayed at the user's viewing terminal, the user's display device or the like as content is delivered to the user have come to be used commonly in recent years. The pertinent technologies disclosed in these areas include, for instance, a filtering technology disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2002-183585, whereby advertisement information is filtered based upon conditions set by a content provider or a user. Another such example is a technology disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2004-62446 adopted to collect information available on a network in correspondence to specific user interests. The advertisement bid invitation system that determines a specific advertisement to be attached to program information through an Internet auction, disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2006-222620, represents another example of a pertinent technology. Through this system, advertisement bids can be tendered and accepted based upon the date/time at which the specific program is to be provided, the program genre, a keyword set in relation to the program or a program timetable.